


Natural

by qya



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, MakoHaru Gift Exchange 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:43:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qya/pseuds/qya
Summary: Makoto thinks about his and Haru's relationship.





	Natural

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wallywestie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wallywestie/gifts).



On Makoto’s 20th birthday, his friends took him to a bar after college to celebrate his birthday, but instead of the cakes he’d usually gotten so far, mostly chocolate cakes- his friends knew his preference, he was presented with a small glass with some kind of silvery liquid inside. 

His friends were making a big deal about it all, saying things like _“Look who’s become a man”_ and _“Makoto is a big boy now”_ while he gulped the bitter drink down and thought, _“I’d rather have chocolates though”._

It also seemed that alcohol made him more frank. While sober Makoto would think his words over before he said them, drunk Makoto it seemed had no such inhibitions.  
The first shot he took kind of made his head buzz a little and by the time he’d finished the second one, he was questioning himself why he was doing it in the first place, it felt awful. _“I’m never doing this again”._ He thought, sipping on his drink that he thought sounded foreign but couldn’t remember what it was called at the moment.

But that was just the start of things, the night ultimately led him to a lot of realizations, and made him think things that he’d been putting in the back of his mind, to deal with in the future. 

 

The day had started off pretty tame. It was a Saturday which meant that he could sleep in as he wouldn’t have classes that day. When he woke up, he looked over at the desk behind his bed and it showed 09:48 in glaring red digits-not as early as his usual days but not as late either. He looked over at his phone and saw that he had 14 new text messages. He could figure what they consisted of and that made him smile. 

The earliest text was from Nagisa, he’d sent it exactly at midnight, and like it was expected from the blond, it was filled with different types of emojis and also a _“You’re an adult now Mako-chan”_ followed by crying emojis at the end. Makoto let out a chortle at that. Even if Nagisa was a university student now, he’d still be the same bubbly Nagisa that he always knew.

Ran was the second, her text came maybe a couple of seconds later than Nagisa’s because it still read midnight as well. Her text was very similar to Nagisa, with lots of emojis and a plea to visit them soon, and to bring a lot of chocolates with him. Ren’s followed shortly, asking him to come home and that he missed his big brother a lot. That incited a wave of homesickness in Makoto, something he had tried so very hard to overcome but wasn’t completely over yet.

Rin and Rei’s texts came very early in the morning, and Makoto was awed at the fact that they had woken up so early despite it being a Saturday. Rin was still in Australia but the time difference between their locations was only an hour apart so he imagined a groggy Rin waking up and sending a birthday text - three texts actually, one with the standard birthday greetings and the next with, _“Don’t overwork yourself again, take care”_ , and the next asking him to video chat with him very soon. Makoto chuckled a little at the fact that Rin hadn’t forgotten what had happened during his first year at university when he’d exhausted himself to the point that he’d fainted (Rin had blown a fuse at that and gave Makoto a heated lecture on the importance of health after he’d recovered), and he couldn’t help but smile fondly at that. Rei’s message was a simple one too, wishing him a happy birthday and telling him to take care of his health. Rei probably was in his dorm in his university in Osaka, working hard on a sports medicine degree.

He also got one from Kou, still referring to him as ‘Makoto-senpai’. Hers had a lot of emojis too, but not as much as Nagisa’s though. She’d joined her brother in Australia after graduation and had joined a university there.

He got one more from Coach Sasabe, which he reasoned had been written by Amakata sensei if the various proverbs following the usual birthday greetings was any indication. The rest were of his university friends, wishing him a happy birthday and to not forget about the plan they had for that evening. Makoto was unaware as to what the ‘plan’ actually meant but his friends assured him that he’d have a lot of fun and it’d be his best birthday celebration ever.

He spent a few minutes thanking everyone for their wishes, then got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He heard another beep from his phone when he was freshening up.

There was a knock on the door, which came from just outside his bedroom, so he was pretty sure who it was since only one person aside from him had the keys to his apartment.  
_Haru._

He quickly got out of bed to open the door. It was Haru, in casual clothes this time, Makoto had grown so used to seeing Haru in his university’s jersey, it took him aback for a second, not that he didn’t see Haru in casual clothes either. The ocean-blue eyes of his best friend were looking right at his own. 

“Happy Birthday Makoto”, he said and stood up on his toes to give Makoto a little peck on the cheek.

Makoto smiled happily at that, he was already feeling a bit euphoric from all the texts he’d received and Haru just made it all the more better. 

“Thank you Haru-chan”, he said, as he leaned down to give Haru a kiss on the forehead.

“I made breakfast already”, Haru started walking towards the kitchen.

“Oh, thank you Haru.” Makoto said following him. He looked down at the phone in his hand and saw that the new text was from his friend Takashi, asking him to come to the park they frequented near their university at 6 in the evening. He pulled out two chairs from underneath the table in the kitchen as Haru plated the food. Makoto had already figured that it was green curry judging by the aroma. Haru really was spoiling him today.

“Practice?”, asked Makoto as Haru was moving around near the stove.  
“We’re still on a holiday.” Haru answered, and Makoto remembered Haru saying that Haru had a few days off after a competition at a university nearby. “We have to go back on Monday.”, Haru continued.

“Oh.” Makoto responded, “You said you were taking me to the pool today?” 

Haru made a small noise at that but didn’t expand on it and brought their breakfast over. He placed two plates on the table, pushing one towards Makoto. Makoto smiled again, “Green curry early in the morning, it really is my birthday.” He said as he let out a chuckle.

Haru hummed in acknowledgement. They had just started eating the breakfast when Makoto’s phone rang.

Makoto looked at his phone to see who it was.

“It’s mom”, he said to Haru as he picked up the call.

“Mom.” he spoke into the phone.

“Happy birthday Makoto!”, Makoto heard his mom, “Many many happy returns of the day sweetie, how have you been?”

“Thank you mom," Makoto chuckled, " and I’m alright. You called me just yesterday.”

“Yes I did.” His mother continued, “it’s just that everyone misses you at home. Ran and Ren even asked us to take a one-day trip to Tokyo just to surprise you. They have a test this week of course, so we had to refuse.”

Makoto missed them a lot too, he worried about Ran and Ren a lot especially. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when his mom asked, “So do you have any plans today?”

“Yeah”, Makoto replied, “Haru and I are going to a pool near Haru’s uni this afternoon and also to this new café that recently opened up. Then in the evening I’m meeting my friends from the university.”

“Oh, Haruka-kun”, she said, Makoto could notice a shift in tone at the mention of his name, “Is he there right now?” she asked in a tone he could only describe as playful.

“Yes”, he replied, “He made green curry for breakfast, and it’s really delicious.” He beamed at Haru who was sitting right in front of him, and Haru figuring out that they were talking about him, turned his head to the side.

Makoto laughed at that, “He really spoils you doesn’t he?” he heard his mom ask.

“He does.”

“Well I know I tell you this often but don’t trouble him too much alright sweetie.” Before Makoto could retort, she continued, “Can you pass the phone to Haruka-kun for a second?”

Makoto did as told, he gave the phone to Haru who raised his eyebrows in question. “She said she wants to talk to you”, he explained.

Haru took the phone from his hand and put it to his ear. He couldn’t hear what his mom was telling Haru but he would raise his head and look at Makoto occasionally as he answered.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

“I will.”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t live that far.”

“At least once a week.”

“We will.”

Makoto resumed eating his breakfast as Haru answered the phone. He was curious as to what they were talking about but he decided not to ask. He could somewhat make out what they were talking about though.

He was almost done with breakfast and was worried that Haru’s breakfast had already gone cold when Haru returned his phone to him. He took it from his hand and found out then that the call was still on.

“Mom?”

“Wish you a happy birthday again Mako-chan”, Makoto could detect that his mom was getting emotional and he couldn’t lie, he was too. “My baby is all grown up now.”

“Mom”, he didn’t know how to respond.

“Call Ran and Ren in the afternoon if you can, they really want to talk to you. Dad too, he's sleeping right now because he just came back from a business trip and I didn't have the heart to wake him up”

“Alright mom, I will.”

“I love you sweetie, take care.”

“I love you too, mom.”

His mom hung up after quite a long pause after that. No matter how often they called each other, it was still hard to say bye. She used to call him a few times a day everyday during his first year at college but the frequency had decreased over time. They still called each other at times but not as much as before.

Haru had already finished his breakfast by the time he’d hung up the phone. Makoto hurriedly started munching down on the food and finished it. He got up to wash the dishes but Haru took the plates from his hands and said, “I’ll wash them. You dry.” Haru washed the plates as Makoto dried them side by side, like they did back in Iwatobi. 

“Do you want to go for a walk, Haru?” asked Makoto as Haru was using a towel to dry his hands.

“OK.” Haru answered, “You should go change your clothes then.”

“I’ll be back in a sec.” Makoto said as he headed towards his bedroom.

Makoto grabbed a pair of jeans, his favorite black sweater and a green jacket. The days had gotten a little cooler so it was wise to carry one. When he finished changing, he saw that Haru already had his shoes on, and that he was carrying a blue jacket on his arms. Haru gave him a once-over and then went towards the door.  
Haru’s look had made Makoto feel a bit embarrassed, especially since he could see that the look was kind of appreciative. He could feel his ear burning up so he tried to calm down before joining Haru outside.

“Where do you want to go?”, Haru asked, as they stepped out of the building that housed his apartment.

“Hmm I was thinking of just walking around the area”, he said laughing sheepishly, “I just wanted to walk together with you for a while, and the weather’s alright too.”

Haru didn’t say anything and continued walking. The autumn season had painted the path orange and the wind had scattered the dried-up leaves from the trees all over the pavement. Their feet made a crunching sound whenever they stepped on the leaves as they walked for a while in comfortable silence until they reached a park. Makoto got to a bench and sat down and beckoned Haru to sit beside him. 

“Haru, do you miss Iwatobi sometimes?”

Haru hummed in agreement.

“Tokyo’s very different to Iwatobi, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

“It’s just that”, Makoto said searching for words to articulate what he was thinking of, “There are so many people here, I just feel a little overwhelmed sometimes.”

“I do too”, Haru started, “It was hard to adjust at first, it gets easier with time.” He completed looking up to the sky.

Makoto was well aware of how Haru fared at the start of their university life. The first day they came to Tokyo and started looking for apartments for themselves, he could see how Haru was feeling a little overwhelmed. And also like Haru said, things got better, they worked on it together at first till they could do things on their own. Makoto still remembers how not only his mom, but Haru too was worried about him since he didn’t know how to cook for himself. He could handle most things-he’d grown with a couple of rambunctious younger twins but cooking had been such a big hurdle to him. He chuckled remembering how Haru had stayed over for an entire week at his place to teach him how to cook the most basic of food. _“I should’ve done this much earlier.”_ He could hear Haru mutter to himself then. Haru was sort of satisfied with Makoto’s progress at the end of the week, it wasn’t as tasty as what his mom and Haru made, but Haru thought it was passable.

“You know Haru, I kinda miss going to the beach sometimes.”

“We can go to the beach here too."

"It's not the same."

"There’s Seaworld here though.”

Makoto scrunched up his face at that. “Hmm.” He continued after a pause, “I also miss Shiro-chan.” He looked at the ground wistfully.

Haru was well aware of the white cat that waited for Makoto at the bottom of the stairs back home in Iwatobi and the name Makoto had apparently given to her. Ran had laughed loudly after she found out about it saying how “Shiro” was the least creative name to give to a white cat. Makoto had a pout on his face for an entire day and the memory made Haru smile in fondness.

Haru knew Makoto had been feeling quite homesick since the morning, probably because of all the messages he’d received and also his mom’s call. He reached over to cover Makoto’s hand that he had on the bench with his own as a gesture of comfort. It had the impact it was intended to have as Makoto seemed to relax after that.

“We should head to the pool now.” Makoto said, turning to Haru.

“Hmm.” Haru responded, “What time are you meeting your friends?”

“Six.”

Haru looked like he was thinking something over. “I’ll wait for you at home.”

Makoto felt a flutter in his chest when Haru referred to his place as home. But he realized something too, “But you’ll be alone Haru.” Makoto said, conflicted.

“It’s alright, I have to look over some notes so I brought them over.”

“Oh. Okay.” He got up from the bench, “Shall we head over now?”

 

When Makoto saw the pool, his memories from high school came back at full speed as well. His life revolved around swimming once but because of his studies, he hadn’t been able to go for a swim in more than a month, the last time he saw the pool was a few weeks ago when he’d gone over to Haru’s practice. He missed the water, and while he didn’t have the same connection to water as Haru, the love he held for water and swimming was a part of who he was. 

He went with Haru to the changing room, and to his dismay found out that the legskins he owned from back in highschool had become a little tight around the waist. Haru could see his emotions quite plainly on his face and asked, “Is it too uncomfortable?”

“No”, Makoto answered moving his legs, “But it looks like I’ve gained quite a bit of weight.” Makoto also noticed that his muscles didn’t seem as defined as before, something he hadn’t really paid much attention to before.

“Hmm”, Haru started, “Makoto still looks just as good though.”

Makoto was a bit taken aback by that, “That…that wasn’t what I was worried about.” He resumed after a pause, “I’ve been thinking about joining gym for a while, Takashi and Saya keep insisting me on it and I think it’s a good idea.”

“You can come jogging with me in the morning if you want.” Haru supplied.

“I could do that too I guess.” 

As Makoto pondered, Haru proceeded over to the pool. It was larger than the one they had back in Iwatobi. Haru was also glad at the fact that unlike the one they had back in high school, this pool was open every month of the year.

They entered the pool after a few stretches, Haru diving into the water like a dolphin like he always did while Makoto entered slowly.

“I just wanted stay in the water for a while Haru”, he said smiling when the dark-headed boy raised his eyebrow in question.

Makoto was glad that they were the only two there. He didn’t know how Haru had secured the pool to themselves but he was very grateful to him for bringing him there. 

Makoto looked over at Haru, who was alternating between floating on his back and gliding against the water. He looked so at peace there, Makoto felt soothed at the scene too.

“You really are best in the water Haru-chan.” Makoto said when he’s sure Haru’s within hearing distance, remembering that one time they raced back in their third year in high school. 

Haru swimmed towards him and then stopped. They’re both standing with their feet on the bottom of the pool, looking at each other. If someone were to ask him in the future about it, he wouldn’t know who initiated the touch first. Because the only thing he could remember were Haru’s right hand in his shoulder, his left hand on Haru’s waist, and their lips meeting to a kiss.

They kept standing there, their lips still touching, breathing in the other. He had known Haru’s lips were soft, they had shared kisses here and there before, but it was the first time they’d kissed on the lips. Makoto’s glad he had kept insisting Haru on using a chapstick on a regular basis- _“pool water is rough on the skin Haru, you need to take care of your skin”_ , even though he had no ulterior motives when he’d suggested it.  
He couldn’t remember how long they stayed like that. It felt like it was a natural progression for them, like everything else. From holding hands that started from their final year in high school, to little pecks on the cheek or forehead that began when they started university. He didn't think it was something he needed to think about too much and just accepted it as it came.

It seemed that time had stopped for a while. His heart on the other hand beat like he’d just ran a mile. He couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling at the moment, it was exhilarating as it was soothing, and it made him feel at peace, and he knew that it was all because of Haru.

They parted reluctantly. Haru kept his look down as he asked, “Don’t you want to swim too?”

“I think I will.” He responded, as he got on his back to swim, thankful to his muscles for not being too rigid to swim the way they did before. He could only see the roof of the pool-room right then instead of the open skies he’d see when he swam back at school but he couldn’t quite contain the elation he was feeling at his heart.  
After they’d swam for a while, Makoto got out of the water. He didn’t feel like disturbing Haru and his swimming, but he still had to.

“Haru, we should get going.”

Haru swam towards him and after he reached the edge, grabbed the hand being offered to him, as he pulled himself out of the water. “Yeah.”

“Speaking of which”, Makoto asked, “how did you get the pool to yourself?” As they headed towards the changing room.

“A teammate of mine owns the place. Or rather his family does.”

“He sounds nice.”

“He is”, Haru responded, “except when it comes to practice. He can be a demon then.”

Makoto let out a laugh at that, then remembered something, "Wait, it's Saturday, so shouldn't the pool be packed right now. Don't tell me you paid for it Haru. It would've cost you a fortune." Makoto panicked.

"Calm down, Makoto. Shinoda owed me a favor. I covered for him when he went to meet with his girlfriend once, this was his way of paying me back."

"But then his family would've been mad at him Haru." Makoto was still agitated at having inconvenienced somebody else for his sake.

"He seems like a spoiled child. And he said something about maintenance too", he replied, "If his parents had rejected his request, then we wouldn't be here in the first place."

"Haru", he whined, "What if it had been denied ."

"Then I'd think of something else."

Makoto looked at him disapprovingly but then his lips broke into a laugh.

"I would though. I only brought you here after he said it was alright and gave me the key."

Makoto smiled at the thought, he really was being spoilt by Haru.

"We need to get going." Haru said and led Makoto towards the exit. 

 

The café they had wanted to visit was not that far from the pool so they made it there quite fast. The interior of the café had a very minimalistic feel to it, but looked quite inviting, Makoto already liked it. It also looked like they had delicious-looking cakes, and that just made everything better.

“I thought that we could go to a cat café, but we went there just two weeks ago. And one of my teammates said that they have really delicious chocolate cakes.” Haru explained.

“We can go there sometime soon, this place is quite nice too.” Makoto said smiling.

He called Ran and Ren while waiting for the food to arrive. They wished him a happy birthday again and then he could hear them arguing on who got to wish him first. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was Nagisa. As the call progressed his eyes became misty with tears as Ran and Ren asked him to come home soon and that they missed him terribly. They’d written the same thing on their text but hearing them say it made him quite emotional. Their dad took the phone afterwards and  
asked him how he was doing. He apologized for being late to wish him a happy birthday but Makoto knew that his dad must've been really tired after his trip from his talk with his mother and that he needed rest. His dad told him not to worry too much about everyone back home and to come visit them over the summer, and to call him if he ever needed anything. When he was done with a call, Haru could see that he was on the verge of crying. He stayed silent as Makoto composed himself and then reached out to hold the green-eyed boy’s hand on his own. Makoto gave him a little smile.

“I’m going to be like this a lot, aren’t I?”, he said, “On my birthdays, during festivals, whenever I see something that reminds me of Iwatobi.”

“Hmm.” Haru said, “It’s normal, isn’t it?” He knew that leaving Iwatobi had had a larger impact on Makoto than it did on him. It must have been hard for him to go from living together with his family to living alone, especially when he was so attached to them.

Makoto didn’t answer but Haru felt like the grren-eyed boy felt better than he did before.

The chocolate cake there was indeed delicious, and Makoto joked that it was a good thing that the café was quite a long way from his own university, or he’d become a regular customer there.

“I can bring them to you when I come over”, Haru said in between taking sips of his tea.

Makoto smiled goofily at that, Haru did love spoiling him.

 

After they’d come out of the café, they took a little walk around the place. Haru told Makoto what his teammates told him about the shops nearby, and also about this particular ramen shop that had the best noodles in town, which Haru said was true because he had tasted it himself. They made plans on visiting the shop the next week, if nothing important came up- they both had their studies and practice to think of too. They had to part at the train station, Haru going to Makoto’s place and Makoto going to his university to meet his friends for the apparent “plan”.

“Call me if you need anything”, Haru offered.

“Alright”, he responded, “I’ll come back as early as I can.”

“Hmm.”

They hadn’t moved an inch towards their platforms. They were in a standstill when Makoto’s phone rang. It was Takashi and when he picked it up, even Haru was startled at the loud voice coming from the phone, loud enough for even Haru to hear.

“HEY MAKOTO? WHERE ARE YOU?”

“At the station.” He answered, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Oh, okay. We’re already here. Well except for Mika but she said she’d be here soon. Come to the park, alright Makoto?” He said and then hung up.

Makoto found Haru looking at him curiously when the call ended. 

“So um”, Makoto started, “See you at home Haru.”

Haru hummed in acknowledgement and then they parted ways.

 

Makoto didn’t like the plan at all if he was going to tell the truth.

His friends took him to a ramen stall after they met him, it was kind of funny to him because he’d just been talking about ramen with Haru earlier. They also took him out to a sushi shop after that. It was the last place they led him to, that made him feel a little apprehensive.

Not a little, very.

They were standing in front of a bar, Makoto could see the name of the bar on a board on the side in flourished English letters. He couldn’t make out the words and looked at it in confusion.

“It’s called Future Fish, weird name huh?”, Saya said as she laughed loudly. 

“When I first came here, I thought it was a sushi shop or something.” Kazuhiko shared, and joined the laughter.

It looked like the bartender knew most of his friends there. Out of the seven of them, only him and a girl who went by the name Natsuki had never stepped into the place before. He could see why, they were still underage then. 

Another friend of his, Mika said, “Natsuki turned 20 recently too, but we couldn’t celebrate then because of that test we had last week, so it’s going to be a double celebration today.”

“Yeah”, Seiji shouted, “Makoto and Natsuki are going to become proper adults today.”

Makoto knew what they meant by it. He had known that a lot of people celebrated their 20th birthday and their first step towards official adulthood with alcohol. It wasn’t the first time he’d be tasting alcohol though, he knew what beer tasted like, courtesy a certain energetic blond underclassman of his. He only had a sip then and if he had to say, he wasn’t a fan of the taste.

Takashi had gone up to the bartender when they all went to the table at the furthest corner of the bar. He came back with two short glasses, with some kind of silvery liquid in it.

“This one’s for the first-timers.” Takashi said loudly and placed one of the glasses near Makoto and the other near Natsuki. Natsuki had a resigned look on her face, she looked over at Makoto and then gulped the liquid down in one gulp.

“Go! Natsuki!” his friends cheered at that.

“Makoto, you too”, he felt Kazuhiko nudge him. “Come on.”

“I don’t know about this guys.” Makoto said anxious.

“It’s alright Makoto, we won’t let you get too drunk. Just enough to get you loosened up you see.”, Saya provided.

He looked down at his drink, then at his friends. He then took the glass up to his lips and took a sip, then winced at the taste. _“Yes chocolates are better.”_ Then chugged it down with his eyes closed.

“Our Makoto is all grown up now”, he heard Takashi say, reminiscent of the talk he had with his mother earlier in the day. Takashi then pretended to cry and wiped fake tears from under his eyes with his hands. His whole group of friends let out a loud laughter at that and Makoto didn’t know if it was the drink or his friends’ exuberance, but he was indeed feeling a little lighter than before.

 

Makoto didn't know how many shots he'd taken until the conversation they were having veered into a different course.

“You know, Makoto”, Natsuki said, her speech a little slurred, “if I hadn’t known about your love-life and all, I would have snatched you up long ago. You are just my type. It’s a shame.” 

Makoto didn’t know how to respond to that. Makoto could see that Natsuki had more empty glasses under her than he did and could see that she was kinda drunk already.

“Tachibana the heartbreaker”, Takashi said dramatically, “which reminds me Makoto, you don’t even need alcohol, you’re already one, aren’t ya?” He said moving his eyebrows up and down suggestively. 

He was right about one thing, Makoto thought, he didn’t need alcohol to be an adult. But he couldn’t make out what he was implying.

The confused look on his face prompted more laughter from his friends. “Oh come on Makoto, when’s the wedding?”

“Wedding?”

“Makoto, don’t play coy. You two are practically married already.”

Makoto continued to look confused at that.

“He’s talking about your boyfriend Tachibana”, Seiji supplied, “that swimmer dude, he even brings him a bento sometimes can you guys believe it? You two are like the sappiest couple in existence.”

“You’re loved, Makoto”, Takashi said nodding his head, “I wish my girlfriend brought bento for me too sometimes.” He continued, looking over at Saya. 

“Get a maid then”, Saya responded, without missing a beat. The group broke into laughter at that.

“Aww, babe”, Takashi said, feigning hurt. That made Saya laugh too, and she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

“Oh get that sappy shit out of here.” Kazuhiko complained, “Tachibana, looks like you’ve got competition.” He said turning to Makoto.

But Makoto had been rendered so utterly dumbfounded that he hadn’t registered anything after Seiji’s last comment. 

“Haru is not my boyfriend.”

Mika laughed at that, “Oh right, Haru!”, she said remembering his name, “Makoto, don’t be shy. We’re your friends.”

“I’m not lying. We’re just close friends.”

Everyone went silent and looked at Makoto like he’d grown another head at that.

“You’re kidding!” Natsuki exclaimed.

Makoto remained quiet. His sight was a little hazy, probably because of the drinks he’d had. He was processing the fact that his friends had believed till now that he had been dating his childhood best friend, in his confusion, he downed another shot.

He’d just asked for another one when Seiji stopped him, “I think you’ve had too much to drink Makoto.”

“I feel fine”, Makoto started, apparently more affected by his friends’ words than the alcohol in his system, “Why do you think Haru and me are dating?”

Takashi was scratching his head at this, “I can’t believe it, I don’t know how to describe the way you look at each other. You look like you guys are in love.”

“I do love Haru”, Makoto said frankly, not embarrassed to admit it, “he’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids and we’ve always been together ever since. I mean until now.” He said as he looked a little forlorn. College had really thrown a wedge at that status.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” said a frustrated Takashi.

“It’s the way you act around each other too, like remember that time a few months ago, when he came along with us to that horror movie premiere once. He held your hand throughout the movie because you were scared. He also looked at us a little disapprovingly for our choice with the movie”, Natsuki chimed in, “You were so cute that day”, then mumbled in a low volume, “I seriously thought you were taken.”

“Natsuki!” Mika looked at her sternly.

“Yeah, yeah.” She responded.

“Haru has always been kinda protective”, he then said proudly, “He really cares about his friends.”

“Oh I give up” Takashi said, flinging his hands into the air. “This is frustrating.”

Saya had a thoughtful look on her face, “Well for one thing I remember seeing him kiss you last semester, right before the finals.”

To be quite honest, Makoto couldn’t remember that day particularly. Their ritual of kissing each other on the forehead or cheek had started in their very first year at college, so there were many days that he’d been kissed by Haru. But he did remember one small detail though.

“On the cheek!” he exclaimed, “For good luck.”

“Makoto”, Seiji started, “I don’t know how you did things back in your hometown, but friends don’t do that.”

“But we only started doing that after we came to Tokyo”, he said pondering over things in his mind, “We only held hands back in Iwatobi.”

Kazuhiko let out a long sigh at that. He couldn’t help but notice that alcohol made Makoto a lot more honest, not that he thought Makoto used to lie to them, just that he liked keeping certain things to himself, like things related to Haru. They knew only a few things about Haru, that the two had been friends since they were toddlers, that he was a swimmer training for the Olympics, and a few snippets of their lives back home that didn’t really give much information. It was mostly him gushing after one of Haru’s swimming events or him looking like a happy puppy when Haru came to visit him at their university. Apart from that, there was another thing everyone in the group knew about Haru.

“I think we should call his friend up”, he started, “Makoto looks kinda disoriented.”

Makoto’s head rose up at that, “I feel fine, and I don’t want to bother Haru, he must be studying right now. He works so hard.” He said, saying the latter part of the sentence with palpable fondness.

He did seem a little drunk though. Not so much that he wouldn’t be able to stand at all, but enough to not be able to walk in a straight line if such a situation arrived.

Kazuhiko couldn’t take it much longer. He remembered the time they’d gone to the movies with Haru, where Makoto had been scared half to death. Makoto had gone to the bathroom when his usually quiet friend who rarely interacted with them came up to them and handed out his phone number to each of them, and told them to ‘call if anything happens to Makoto’.

He had the number saved under ‘Makoto’s boyfriend’ and he let out a little chuckle at that. He called the number until it was picked up at the fourth ring. Haru’s monotone voice could be heard on the other end of the line, asking him who it was.

“It’s Makoto’s friend from college. You see we kinda got him in a mess”, Kazuhiko said sheepishly, “ Can you come pick him up?”

“What happened?” said the voice.

“Nothing that serious”, he explained, “he uh, he’s kinda drank a little. Not much, but we just wanted him to reach home safely.” He continued after a while, “We can drop him off if you’re busy though. It’s just that I thought it was better to let you know.”

“I’ll be there. Where should I come to?”

Kazuhiko was giving him the directions to the place, unaware of Makoto looking at him intently. When he hung up the phone, he was immediately inquired.

“Was that Haru?”

“Yeah” Kazuhiko responded.

“Why do you have his number?” Makoto asked, with a confused look in his face again.

“All of us have his number Makoto”, Saya chimed in at that. “He gave them to us. He told us to call him if anything happens to you.”

“Oh.” Makoto seemed to think something over in his head, “that’s fair.” Makoto smiled a little at that, “Haru-chan calls me a worrywart but he is one himself too.” 

Makoto was then asked to say how they normally do when they’re together, and he replied honestly. He told them how they play video games sometimes, or go for a walk, or the pool, or just laze around at one of their apartments. He then told him about how he spent the day with Haru, all with a big smile on his face.

“That sounds like a date!”, Takashi exclaimed, “oh my god.”

“But we’ve always been doing that.” Makoto protested.

His friends were looking at his expressions intently, wondering how anyone could be so oblivious. Natsuki interjected again, “So you guys haven’t confessed yet?”

It seemed like Makoto’s face would be forever etched into an expression of confusion if this continued. 

“Or kissed?”

“It’s for lu…” Makoto started but was quickly interrupted by Natsuki.

“On the lips?”

“Natsuki!” Mika exclaimed again but then turned around to look at Makoto, where everyone’s attention was directed towards at the moment.

She found him blushing up to his ears at that.

“So you have?” Natsuki continued.

Makoto opened his mouth then closed them again, then said in a quiet voice, “Only once.”

“Hmm, and…” Seiji joined in too, he had a feeling Makoto would expand on it, he’d never seen his friend that open and honest before.

“It was…” Makoto couldn’t put his thoughts into words and paused for a while, “It was different.”

“Different how?” Takashi pressed on, curious.

“I don’t know, it just is.” He said as he turned his head to the side. After that action though, he remembered, _“Haru does the same when he’s embarrassed too.”_ It looked like he was picking up some of Haru’s habits and for some odd reason, he felt a flutter in his chest.

“Think about it Makoto” Saya said. She’d always thought of him as a younger brother despite being the same age as him. “How is it different?” 

Makoto knew that the giddiness he’d been feeling since the afternoon had resulted from the kiss. It had stayed in the back of his mind in his friend’s company but the fluttery feeling had never completely left his chest and remembering it brought the feeling back full force.

“It felt natural”, he said, and continued, not really answering the question, "like everything we do."

Saya was about to ask him again when she saw a familiar figure walking towards them. It was the very person they were talking about.

“Makoto”, Haru said, looking at Makoto with narrowed eyes, scrutinizing him, “You’re drunk.”

“No, I’m not”, Makoto responded, unable to hide his happiness at seeing Haru, but also realized something then, “Haru-chan you didn’t have to come get me. You should be home studying. I can get home by myself.” He said as he got up hurriedly, but that left him a little too dizzy and he sat back down.

Makoto didn’t have to look at Haru to know that he was concerned, “I just got a little dizzy because I got up really fast.”

“Do you need any help getting to the station?”Seiji offered. “I think he can walk but just in case.”

Haru looked at him, then at Makoto and answered, “Yes, thank you.”

 

His friends were still offering to accompany them the whole way back home but Makoto looked like he was a little more sober than before, so Haru thanked them for their offer but said that he could handle it from there and they left. They sat in the almost empty train, he was thankful that in Tokyo, trains ran late into the night unlike back in Iwatobi. Makoto looked really drowsy and he almost fell asleep on the train but Haru woke him up and led them towards his apartment. He was glad that they had chosen apartments not that far from the station.  
They got there without Makoto falling over anything and just as he stepped into his bedroom, he flopped himself down on the bed.

“Makoto.”

“Hmm.” Came a muffled sound as he was lying face down on top of his blankets.

Haru let out a long sigh at that. “You need to change your clothes, and brush your teeth. Your breath stinks of alcohol. 

Makoto got up reluctantly after that. He got changed into his pajamas and went to brush his teeth. After that, he dove straight into the bed again and Haru didn’t object this time, instead he tucked him into the bed.

“I’ll go take a shower.”

“Hmm”, Makoto responded as he drifted away into the land of dreams.

When Haru came back, Makoto had already fallen asleep. Even when not completely sober, he had left quite a bit of space on the double bed and Haru knew the reason behind it. “I don’t have another futon Haru but I’m not letting you sleep on the floor either.”Makoto had once announced loudly, “We can just share the bed like we used to, the bed is bigger than the one I had in Iwatobi so we both can fit.” Makoto had declared.

Haru smiled at the memory and gave Makoto a kiss on his forehead. He was really worried when he’d gotten the call from Makoto’s friend. Makoto didn’t know how relieved Haru felt that it wasn’t anything serious. He was still going to have a talk with him after he woke up though.

“You gave me such a fright today, Makoto, don’t ever do that again.”He said as he lied next to him and fell asleep a little while later.

 

Makoto woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a sleeping Haru in his arms. It wasn’t really that different from the other days Haru stayed over but the memories of yesterday came flooding to his head and he tried to bolt out of bed when he remembered everything that happened the evening before but ended up falling on the floor. Haru was woken up by his actions and he looked groggily at him, “Makoto, why are you on the floor?” he asked, his voice laced with sleep.

“Uh, I just got tangled in the sheets.” He answered, as he felt heat riding to his cheeks. 

“How are you feeling?” Haru inquired, letting out a big yawn.

“My head hurts bad.” Makoto admitted. Haru reached to the desk on the side of the bed at that and opened one of the drawers. “I had a feeling that would be the case.” He handed a pill to Makoto, “Aspirin. I’ll get you water.” He said as he got out of bed.

“Haru, you don’t ha…”

“Stay here.”

With that, Haru was out the door.

Makoto got up to freshen himself up in the bathroom. He looked at himself and saw how horrible he looked in the mirror. “I need to take a shower.” He thought to himself.

He came back into the bedroom after brushing his teeth and saw that Haru had already fetched him a glass of water and also a bowl of food. “Eat something before you take the medicine. I heated up yesterday’s leftovers.”

“Thank you, Haru.” Makoto said as he took both the glass and bowl from Haru’s hands.

He ate the curry, downed the pill and the water and sat on the bed for a while, collecting his thoughts. He remembered what his friends had said the evening before, and looked over at Haru, who raised his eyebrow in question.

It wasn’t a new thing for Makoto to find Haru’s every actions adorable.

He then got up and moved to the closet. He took out some clothes to change into after shower and was about to go to the bathroom when Haru stopped him. “Rest for a while.” Haru said and beckoned him towards the bed. He did as told and sat back down.

“Do you have classes today?” Haru asked as he sat down beside him.

“No, it’s Sunday.”

Haru had a frown on his face and Makoto knew why. “Nothing bad happened Haru. I’m fine. The headache will go away soon.” He tried to reassure Haru.

It didn’t look like Haru was completely convinced but he wasn’t protesting either, “What about your practice Haru?”

“Holiday.”

“Oh right.” Makoto remembered. 

There was an awkward silence after that. Makoto knew Haru had something that he wanted to say, so he said in a questioning tone, “Haru?”

Haru looked at Makoto then took a deep breath, “Makoto, I kind of get why your friends took you to a bar yesterday.” He looked like he was struggling to find words to say, “I’ve heard it is a normal thing to do once you turn 20 but”, he said as he turned to look back at Makoto, “I just want you to be safe. So be careful the next time, okay?”

Makoto could see a plethora of emotions in Haru’s expressive blue eyes and his heart hurt knowing he was the cause of Haru’s worries. He wanted to say that there probably would never be a next time and that Haru needn’t worry. Makoto remembered how Haru looked when he had fainted from exhaustion days before the finals of his first semester and had sworn to himself to never cause Haru to look so crestfallen again, but it looked like he couldn’t keep that promise. 

“I prefer chocolates to liquor.” He said, voicing out his exact thought from the evening before.

Haru widened his eyes at that, confused. Makoto continued, “It was so bitter Haru. I should’ve learnt my lesson back when Nagisa brought beer on that sleepover we had at your house. I just thought it’d be a little different because it didn’t look the same.” 

Makoto could see that Haru was amused by the reasoning and he went on with honesty, “It felt awful Haru. My head felt like I’d just been on a really fast merry-go-round and I don’t like not being able to control my limbs the way I want to. You know how clumsy I already am.”

Haru looked like he was thinking about it and then responded as he nodded his head, “True.”

In other days, Makoto would’ve acted offended when Haru would call him clumsy, but right now he was glad knowing that it helped Haru feel lighter. He resumed, 

“Looks like alcohol is not my kind of thing.”

Haru hummed in agreement, “Not mine either.”

Makoto looked at Haru questioningly at that.

“One of us learnt back in high school.” He answered the unasked question, “My classmates tried to do something similar on my 20th birthday too, but I said I was planning on spending the day with you.”

Makoto was surprised at that, Haru hadn’t told him about it before. The butterflies in his stomach that he felt when Haru related the latter part of the sentence was something he knew he had to think of soon. 

Haru continued knowing Makoto was curious about it, “They told me the next day that they planned on taking me to a bar. I would’ve rejected them anyway. I don’t like the taste and coach would’ve been angry at me if I did go.”

Haru stared at Makoto for a while in silence till he spoke again, “Makoto”, he started, “I know how considerate you are and”, he took another pause, “if you do want to go drinking but you’re worried about making me worried, you don’t have to stop yourself okay? It’s just that I don’t want anything bad happening to you. I know your friends will look out for you but please be careful.” He finished and by the end of it, he had his head down looking down at his hands.

That took Makoto by surprise. They both had a habit of being a little too considerate about the other, forgoing something they liked because they didn’t want to worry the other- he remembered how Rin had sat him down once and talked to him about it. He had promised to himself that he wouldn’t hold Haru back and realized that Haru had thought of the same. 

That was not the case at the time though.

“Haru”, he started, “I don’t think I’m missing out on anything by not going drinking with my friends. We can always have fun in other ways. We can go to a karaoke bar, or to that cat café you found, or just go roam around to look for the best ramen in the city.” He knew what he needed to say, “Haru, you aren’t holding me back on anything.”

Haru’s eyes widened at that. Makoto went up to him and enveloped him into a hug. “You don’t have to worry Haru really. I’m not going to go drinking ever, because I don’t like it. You can just take me to the café we went to today whenever my friends go out drinking. If you’re free of course.”

Haru made a small noise in acknowledgement. He then pulled back a little and asked after he looked like he’d remembered something, “How’s your head?”

“Much better”, Makoto replied, “I should go take a shower now. I stink.” He said scrunching up his face.

“I’ll go make breakfast then.” Haru pulled out of the hug and slowly got up. 

“But I wanted to cook for you.”

“No. You shower.” Haru said sternly. “You stink.”

Makoto acted offended at that even though he’d himself said the same thing just a few seconds ago. Makoto could see Haru smile at that. He was glad Haru had stopped worrying for now.

What his friends said the day before was still on his mind, but he decided to put it off for later to just enjoy Haru’s company for now. 

 

The next day, he was met with the somewhat-guilty faces of his friends at his university. Apart from Natsuki who wasn’t looking at him and was rubbing her temples with her fingers, everyone else was watching him intently, as if they were expecting a scolding. Makoto didn’t know how to start telling them that he was alright. They apologized to him and Makoto tried to reassure them that it was alright. 

“We really should’ve stuck with a chocolate cake, huh?” Saya asked. “That was our first plan. You love it, and Natsuki does too.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been better”, came Natsuki’s reply who was rubbing her temples with her fingers, it looked like she was having a bad headache.

“It’s just that”, Takashi started, “You’re 20 now, and a lot of people can’t wait to get their first sip of alcohol when they reach adulthood you see. I thought you’d be ecstatic. We must have made you uncomfortable with all the questions too.”

Makoto already knew that his friends didn’t mean anything bad when they planned on taking him to the bar. Plus it wasn’t like he couldn’t have rejected the offer had he been completely against it, and he told them just that. Makoto felt like it was just a rite of passage of some kind and gone along with it, not to mention his father had already given him a long lecture on college traditions and how to handle himself in such situations even before he had joined university. It wasn’t really the liquor that he minded either.

That seemed to have eased them out of their worries a little. “Man that disapproving look on your friend’s face was so piercing.” Seiji said, giving a small laugh.

Their classes were just about to begin when Saya came to him and said, with a hand on his shoulder, “Makoto, I know it’s your relationship and all and I shouldn’t really meddle, but”, she gave him a smile and continued, “Give it a thought alright?” and moved to her desk. Makoto knew what she meant by it.

 

So Makoto did. He had never thought his and Haru’s relationship was one he had to think about before. They had known each other nearly all their lives, went to school together, did everything together. But what his friends said made him rethink everything, especially all the things that had started since they joined university.  
They were sort of right in a way. He did think his and Haru’s relationship was a little different from the others. He treated Haru a little differently than he did his other friends and that he’d credited to having known him the longest. Haru’d hold his hand when he felt that Makoto was frightened or Makoto held his just to let Haru know he was there right beside him, it was a way for them to comfort each other. He was a rather affectionate person and didn’t really shy away from showing it, but he didn’t show it to others the way he did with Haru.

The new or rather, relatively new developments in their relationship hadn’t really fazed him either. They’d always share a bed when they slept over at each other’s place back in Iwatobi, which continued in Tokyo as well- the thing that differed though, was that now even when one of them found out that they’d been spooning the other, they didn’t move away. Makoto smiled when he thought about it, the way when Haru nuzzled closer when Makoto would try to get into a more comfortable position, was absolutely adorable.

Haru also seemed more comfortable with hugs now, whose frequency had increased as well. Makoto felt warmer just remebering the hugs they'd shared ever since they started university.

He remembered how the little pecks on the cheek thing started as well. Haru had stayed over at his place the day before a swimming event that was going to be held in another prefecture. Makoto had kind of gotten used to not being able to see Haru everyday but they’d somehow manage to visit at least once a week. But now Haru would be gone for more than two weeks and Makoto had already started feeling a little lonely before Haru had even left his apartment. He was still groggy from sleep and he found Haru putting on his shoes when he woke up and went to the front door. Haru turned to look at him, “There are leftovers in the fridge, heat it up and eat it”, he said gesturing towards the kitchen. And before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled Haru in his arms in a hug.

Haru had gone still in his arms and Makoto realized what he’d done a little after Haru called out to him, “Makoto?”

Makoto quickly let him go and noticed that Haru was looking at him intently. But then Haru stepped towards him and kissed him on the cheek, just a light touch of his lips. Makoto was frozen still as Haru looked up at him and said, “You can call me if you want to talk. I keep my phone with me now.” He said as he turned his head to the side. 

Makoto’s brain couldn’t process what had just happened, he could feel blood going to his cheeks after Haru’s kiss but before he could open his mouth to ask Haru what just happened he heard a soft, “Bye”, and with that he was out the door.

Makoto’s heart felt aflutter the entire day that day. 

When Haru came back after the event, he gave Makoto a kiss on the cheek again as if it was the most natural thing to do. Makoto had two weeks to think about that gesture of Haru’s, and seeing how he didn’t seem that bothered by it, came to accept it as just another addition to their evolving friendship.

The kisses grew more frequent after that. Sometimes Haru’d kiss him on the cheek when he was doing his college assignments, or when he was stressing over his exams and needed to calm down, or when he was missing Iwatobi and everyone there. He had also started doing the same to Haru, preferably on the forehead-before a competition, when Haru spoiled him by making him a dish he liked or when Haru was acting particularly cute. “Easier to reach.” Makoto said teasingly once to Haru who then proceeded to pout the entire day.

The pecks meant a lot of things to them, _“Good luck”, “You can do it.” “You need to rest.” “I missed you.”_

_“And then there was that kiss.”_

 

Makoto’s head was filled with questions for an entire week. He’d pondered over his emotions and feelings regarding Haru. He knew he loved Haru, and Haru knew that Makoto loved him too, he thought as he remembered that day back in middle school. He also knew that it would be better if he talked about it with Haru, he knew hiding it would make him act differently and that Haru would notice it right way and he didn’t want to repeat what happened back in middle school and high school.

He picked up his phone and called Haru.

 

It was already the next Saturday afternoon by the time they get to meet up again, at Haru’s apartment this time. Haru had told him that his coach was making all of them practice hard so he'd only be free on the weekend. Makoto knocked on the door and after a short while, it was opened by Haru. He looked like he’d just woken up. “Haru?”, he questioned.

“Practice.” He answered and Makoto understood what he meant by that. 

“It’s Saturday?”

“Yeah.” He provided no explanation.

Haru headed towards the bedroom and Makoto followed after that.

“So?”, Haru said questioningly.

“Hmm?” Makoto didn’t understand what Haru was asking for.

“You look like you have something to say.” Haru explained. He let out a yawn.

Makoto opened his mouth then closed it again, he didn’t know how to begin. He didn’t know how he should broach the subject.

Haru let out another yawn as he waited for Makoto to speak. 

Makoto stood up then, “I do want to talk to you about something, but I think you need some food in you first.”

Haru jolted up at that, “You’re going to be making breakfast?”

“Haru”, he said in a whiny tone, “I can cook. Not as good as you of course but I’ll manage. And I know just how you like your mackerel.” He said with a smile.

Haru watched as Makoto disappeared towards the kitchen. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Makoto’s abilities, he taught him after all. It was just that he’d always be a little worried about leaving Makoto alone with a stove, he vividly remembers that day he almost caused a fire the first day he tried to grill mackerel. Thankfully there had been no such incidents ever since but he still liked to be careful.

When Makoto calls him from the kitchen to get breakfast, Haru had already brushed his teeth and freshened up. Haru sat down on the chair and looked at the food on the plate, it looked good.

He broke off a piece of mackerel lying on top of the rice and put it in his mouth. “It’s good”, he says after swallowing.

“See, I told you, I can make at least mackerel. I’m not good at making other things that well but grilled mackerel I can manage”, he said proudly, “If only you’d let me cook when you came over. I'm not going to start a fire.”

“I like cooking for you.” He said nonchalantly.

“I want to cook for you too you know.”

Haru looked thoughtful at that, they let a comfortable silence take over a while before Haru spoke again, “I’m a little overprotective, aren’t I?” 

Makoto could see that Haru had been thinking about it for a while now. “I am too. You say that I’m a worrywart.”

There was another pause for a while. They resumed eating their breakfast and Makoto picked up the plates and took it to the sink. Haru washed the plates and Makoto dried them, like they always did.

Haru sat back at the chair after they were done and beckoned Makoto towards him.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Makoto sat down and tried to collect his thoughts. He let out a long sigh and finally spoke.

“Haru, what do you think of us?”

Makoto noticed Haru looking at him questioningly, “I mean our relationship.”

“We’re Haru and Makoto.”

Makoto chuckles at that, it was such a Haru-like answer.

“Takashi and the others seem to think that our friendship is strange.”

“Strange how?” Haru inquired.

Makoto thought to himself that it was better to just be honest, he lets out a huff and answers, “They say friends don’t kiss each other.”

Haru looked unbothered by that revelation, “Then we’re friends who kiss.”

“Haru”, Makoto supplied, “friends don’t do that.”

Haru looked at Makoto incredulously at that, “But we do.”

A silence resumed again, but this time it wasn’t the same as before.

Haru spoke after what felt like eternity, “I like kissing you. Like how we kissed at the pool. It feels good. ”

Makoto’s breath stopped at that.

“We should do that again”, Haru said, looking up at Makoto through his lashes.

“Haru!” He whined, and goddamnit Haru shouldn’t look at him like that.

He let out a long sigh and continued, “Haru, you don’t understa…” but was interrupted by Haru.

“I do Makoto, it’s just that”, Haru looked around for words, “we’re just how we are. What others say about our relationship doesn’t matter.”

“Haru?”, Makoto asked, knowing that the blue-eyed boy wasn’t done yet.

Haru stayed silent for a while and then spoke, “My teammates told me something like that, they asked me if we were dating.”

“Oh” was Makoto’s only response. 

“I asked them what they meant by that”, he said, “they told me what dating entails and well, it seems that we’ve been doing this dating thing all our lives.”

Makoto looked at Haru’s face and laughed-it was the way Haru said it. “I was confused because that is just how we are.” Haru continued.

Makoto’s laugh turned into a wide smile, “It’s just natural huh?”

Haru hummed in agreement, “I did think about it though”, he said in a serious tone, “Even back in high school, I realized that you were a little different from everyone else.”

“Different?” Makoto asks.

Haru looked like he was searching for words, “I don’t do things that I do with you with others. And you mean a lot to me.” Makoto felt a little surprised at that, and was about to say something back when Haru continued.

“You are my childhood friend, my teammate and something else too, something I don’t know how to describe it. I care about you a lot Makoto.” He said narrowing his eyes and thinking hard, “ I also worry about you a lot. You gave me such a big fright when you fainted last year, I felt like my heart would stop. And then your friend called saying that they got you in a mess. I didn’t know what to do.”

Haru paused and a dark shadow passed over his face. “You were always there and I believed that that is how it would always be. And then there was that storm.”

Makoto knew which storm he was talking about, Haru had saved him that night. _“It’s meaningless without you”_ , Makoto had told Haru.

“I almost lost you that day, and that made me realize how important your existence is to me”, Haru said as he looked down, fiddling with his fingers, “And then when you said you were going to Tokyo in our third year, I didn’t know how to react.”

Makoto had known that Haru still felt guilty about what he said during that fight, but right then he could see clearly how much that incident had affected Haru.

“Haru…”

Haru let out a long sigh and continued, “When I told Rin that I was going to Tokyo, he said that he had a feeling I would do that. Then he gave me a long lecture on codependency.”

“He did that with me too, when I told him about the time we came to look for apartments for the first time.”, Makoto sighed again, “Rin would be so disappointed, I’m still so dependent on you.” Haru stared at him for a while.

“I am too”, Haru started, “Rin does have a point and he wants what's best for us, but I still want you in my life. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

Makoto gave a little smile at that, “I want to be with you too Haru. We can both work on ourselves and still find a way to stay together, can’t we?”

He could spot a small smile on Haru’s face at that. He continued, “And we don’t have to call ourselves by any label if you don’t feel like it.” He said and got up to get two glasses of water.

Haru looked like he was thinking it over, “I think I’d like calling you my boyfriend.”

Makoto was glad he hadn’t taken a gulp of water yet because he was sure he would’ve choked then.

“You’re cute, and I don’t want anyone to hit on you.” Haru said, Makoto could tell that he was being teased.

“You’re the cute one Haru”, he said truthfully, “You don’t know how you make me feel when you act all adorable.”

“Hmm” Haru said, “Do tell.”

Makoto widened his eyes and looked at Haru, then burst out laughing.

He could see Haru smiling too and that made his heart light and full. Haru didn’t know what an effect his smile had on Makoto. His smiles were rare but Makoto was sure that anyone who witnessed it would fall in love with him instantly. 

“Wait, but what if”, Makoto started, looking a little anxious and Haru knew immediately what he meant.

“There was a rumor going around that I was dating a man once”, Haru revealed, “A few people started avoiding me after that.” He said without any inflection in his voice.

Makoto was about to speak when Haru continued, “It doesn’t bother me though. Plus the coach and my teammates constantly tease me about you. And you happened to give them your number and told them to call you if anything happens to me.”

“You did too.” Makoto retorted.

“I did, but I didn’t know then you had done the same too.”

“We’re worrywarts, aren’t we?”

Haru agreed. He got up and walked up to Makoto, who was still seated in his chair. He leaned down and then brought his lips to Makoto’s.

Makoto was a little surprised at first but then he started kissing him back. They stayed like that for a while, with lips pressed against each other’s. 

“Can we take it to my room?”

Makoto felt his blood rushing to his face and ears at the invitation, but he followed as Haru led him towards the room, his head in a mess.

“We can take it slow Makoto. Like we always have”, Haru said, and the words helped calm Makoto’s jittery nerves.

“But I think I’d still like to continue kissing.” he continued and Makoto felt his heart rate speed up again.

“Haru, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

Haru was already impatient by then and pulled Makoto into the bed. Makoto yelped and landed on the edge of the bed.

“Is it alright?”, he heard Haru ask.

Makoto took a deep breath, and nodded. Haru slowly crawled over and sat on his lap, then raised his head to meet Makoto’s lips again.

They pressed their lips together and stayed still for a while. Makoto felt like he could stay like that forever. After that Haru started moving his lips over Makoto’s.

And then Haru opened his mouth and Makoto felt his heart lurch to his threat.

He could feel Haru’s breath on his, and he opened his own lips too. Makoto felt his heart beating out of his chest. A shudder ran through his body when Haru ran his tongue over his lips lightly.

It seems that Haru felt the shudder too, as he pulled apart and looked at him. Makoto looked at Haru’s usually pale face blushing pink and couldn’t help the words coming out of his mouth, “I love you.”

He looked at Haru in trepidation as soon as the words came out, he saw Haru widen his eyes and started fearing the worst.

Haru kissed him on the cheek then, “Calm down.”,it seemed to say, “You’re overthinking again.”

“I love you Makoto.” He heard Haru say and he could swear his heart stopped then. “I think I always have.”

Makoto then pulled Haru to his chest and gave him a tight hug, resting his head on his shoulders and breathing him in. He could feel Haru doing the same too. 

The hug loosened but they stayed there with their heads on the other’s shoulder, then Haru broke the silence.

“We should’ve done this sooner.”

Makoto chuckled at that, “Yeah.” he managed to say.

“Makoto”, Haru pulled apart and looked up at him, “Do you want to do… more?”

He knew what Haru meant and while he did want it too, he didn’t think his heart would be able to take it at the moment.

“I do”, Makoto replied honestly, “But with time, is that alright Haru?”

Haru leaned to rest his head on Makoto’s shoulders again, “Yeah, we can take our time.”

They stayed silent until Makoto spoke, “So we’re boyfriends now?”

“Yeah”, came Haru’s reply and Makoto beamed.

 

They told Makoto’s parents first and they’re both taken aback when Makoto’s mom exclaimed, “It took you guys so long” and started dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Haru’s dad and mom too said that “it was only expected” and that “they made a good pair.” 

Makoto held his breath both times they were calling their parents, knowing in his heart that they wouldn’t object but dreading it anyway. Haru had been holding his hand before the call had even started and didn’t seem like he’d be letting go anytime soon, and Makoto was very grateful for that.

 

Nagisa, Rei, Rin and Kou’s responses all responded with disbelief and frustration, and the sentence, “You mean you guys weren’t already dating” being said repeatedly. Apparently, Rin and Nagisa believed that they had started dating after they moved to Tokyo while Rei and Kou thought they’d been dating since high school. They found it funny seeing Rin look exasperated muttering to himself while Kou laughed out loud on the same screen.

 

Takashi pulled him into a hug the moment Makoto told his friends about it. He let Makoto go and then slapped him lightly on the back. “You made me lose the bet Tachibana.”

“Bet?” Makoto was confused.

“We kinda bet on when you two would get together”, Seiji said as he laughed, “Saya won.”

“I had it on 2 weeks”, Mika complained, “I was so, so close.”

Makoto was a little stupefied at that. “You guys believed we would end up dating?”

The whole group looked at Makoto like he’d grown another head at that. Takashi sighed and retorted, “It was only a matter of time Makoto.”

Makoto remembered at that time how Haru said that people had started to avoid him after the rumor saying that he was dating a man had started. He’d been hurt that Haru was being treated like that, but Haru had told him that his teammates were alright with it, and that had made Makoto a lot relieved.

He had a feeling he knew the answer, but he asked it anyway, “And you guys are alright with it? With me dating a man?” It felt weird for him to say that, he loved Haru because he was Haru, not because he was a man. He had never really thought about dating a man, he had never thought about dating period. 

Makoto raised his eyes to see a smiling Saya, “Of course we are. We just want you to be happy.”

“You’re being an idiot Makoto”, Natsuki piped up, “Why would we think of you any different just because you’re dating a man?”

Seiji lightly slapped Makoto on the back, “We had always thought that you were dating that Haru guy anyway, Don’t you think that if we did treat you differently, we’d have done so way earlier?”

Makoto looked at everyone’s faces at that, and seeing their expressions he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. The tension in his shoulders dissipated as he thought that yes, he truly did have the most loving family and caring friends anyone in the world could ask for. 

“Oh and Makoto”, Takashi interrupted the silence that had taken over, “if you want any tips on your relationship, you can always come to big bro over here alright?” Makoto was ready to thank him and accept his offer until Takashi finished what he was saying, “I get the feeling you’re gonna need a lot of help on a…certain front. I may not know exactly about how everything goes but I know where to look it up.”, he continued while nodding his head.

Makoto’s face and ears turned scarlet as the whole group burst into laughter at the sight.

 

Makoto wouldn’t say that there was a drastic change after he and Haru had announced to their friends and families that they were dating. They continued as before, staying at the other’s apartments during holidays, going on walks “dates” together, and sleeping on the same bed together. The only thing that did change was the frequency of the kisses they shared, and seeing Haru flushing red from exertion of a different kind. He’d always thought Haru was beautiful but a pink-cheeked Haru with pupils blown wide always managed to take his breath away.

His friends bought him some sex-ed books shortly after he’d told them about him and Haru dating, “It’s your birthday gift.” Takashi said, “You didn’t like our surprise but this is sure to come in handy.” He had said. Makoto showed the books to Haru with red ears who just sat down and started turning the pages of one intently right after. “It’s important”, Haru said when Makoto covered his face with his hands out of embarrassment and continued, “they didn’t teach this in school.”

He knew what Haru was talking about. Back in high school, they were taught about sex, but only between a man and a woman, so the books, which covered every base, did seem useful. Haru turned the pages until he reached the chapter on relationships between men then proceeded to read it out loud and Makoto groaned loud in embarrassment again. Makoto heard a small sound at that and knew Haru had let out a chuckle, the thought made his chest feel warmer. He knew Haru was teasing him but he also knew Haru was happy and that in turn made him happy. 

“Oh this explains it”, Haru said out loud, he’d started reading the book quietly after a while so Makoto got startled when the dark-headed boy suddenly spoke. Makoto looked at him questioningly.

Haru paused to collect his thoughts, “this section here is about dreams”, he said and showed which part he was talking about to Makoto, who did turn red again at the pictures but looked on as he felt that Haru was going to tell him something important, “I had those too, but there weren’t any women in it like they told us at school. Most times I was in the water.”

Makoto couldn’t help but chuckle at that, _“That Is so Haru-like”_ , he thought and realized how he used the phrase to describe the smaller boy’s actions.

Haru frowned but he didn’t look too pissed off, “I wasn’t finished”, he slightly pushed Makoto on the shoulders and Makoto felt giddy at how Haru had grown comfortable enough to touch him so casually. Haru continued, “I also saw a hand sometimes, or a body”, he looked at Makoto straight in the eyes, “larger than mine.”

Makoto couldn’t process what Haru was saying right away, he continued, “and he’d touch me all over”, he continued looking at a stupefied Makoto, “then I’d see a green-eyed boy smile with his head tilted to the side.”

That finally got Makoto to understand what Haru was saying and he felt that his veins would burst with all the blood rushing to his face at once. Haru sighed and said with no actual bite in it, “Idiot.”

Makoto was still rendered speechless by that. Haru resumed talking, “I just thought it was normal. You were always the closest person to me after all.”

That brought Makoto back to his senses. He wanted to tell Haru about his own thoughts back in high school too, “I thought the same too” He managed to say.

“So you’ve thought of me too.” Makoto felt like his face and ears would be permanently dyed pink at this rate. He nodded with his face behind his palms, feeling like his heart would burst at the implication that Haru had masturbated at the thought of him.

“I looked up some videos on the internet a few weeks ago. I’m glad that this book has instructions on preparations.”Haru spoke nonchalantly, “I think it’d hurt otherwise.”

Makoto knew what Haru was referring to, he had skimmed through the books as he made his way to Haru’s apartment. They had only touched themselves over the boxers so far and he was a little overwhelmed by all the things that were mentioned in them.

Haru had been looking at the brown-haired boy and he could make out what Makoto was thinking about, “We can take our time.” 

Makoto looked at Haru letting go of the breath he was holding. Haru continued, “I want us both to be comfortable before doing anything.” He said as he crawled over to Makoto’s lap and hugged him, resting his head on Makoto's shoulders. Makoto immediately felt at ease.

They stayed in silence for a while until Haru broke it, “Makoto, we should look for a larger apartment.”

Makoto had been thinking of saying the same to Haru for quite a while now, “Yeah. It’d save us so much rent.”

“One with a big bath.” Haru supplied, and ‘Haru-like’ popped in Makoto’s head again.

“And one that allows pets.” Makoto added.

“Yeah. You cried when you had to give that kitten you rescued away.”

“I didn’t want to let her go.” The green-eyed boy whined.

“Hmm.”

They stayed in the other’s embrace, feeling their worries and troubles slowly fade away to nothingness, mind and heart at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so so sorry for not posting this on time. I made the wrong decision of not backing everything up on my computer OTL  
> Also the drink Makoto was presented with was silver tequila, I know it doesn't matter much but still.  
> Also I don't know how to title things.  
> Please let me know if you've spotted any mistakes.  
> Hope you'll enjoy it.


End file.
